There are many differences among mountain dulcimers. Here I
attempt to sort and categorize these differences. This should
help in the purchase of a first dulcimer or an upgrade instrument.
But perhaps more importantly this article will reveal the variety
of options and features possible on a mountain dulcimer. Many
of these characteristics are not widely known, especially to the
novice, and many of them are not even generally agreed upon within
the modern dulcimer community.

The classifications in this article are most useful when applied
to dulcimers being made today. They generally reflect the practices
and customs that revival (1940s onward) dulcimer makers have embraced
and propagated. Here mountain dulcimers are discussed with regard
to shape, size, stringing, and fret patterns.

Shape
The two shapes of dulcimers that are most popular today are the
hourglass and the teardrop. Both of these designs derive from
older traditional dulcimers. The hourglass comes mainly from
the Eastern Kentucky designs of J. Edward Thomas, and the teardrop
is found mostly in early nineteenth century dulcimers from Virginia.

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Does the Shape Affect the Sound?
This question seems to be on everyone's mind. In short there
is no identifiable "hourglass sound print" nor is there
a "teardrop sound print". The sound or tone of a dulcimer
is more dramatically influenced by changing characteristics other
than shape such as overall size, string length, string tension,
string gauge, acoustic design, type of wood, and finish.

A Few Other Shapes
Another variation on the single-bout shape (bouts are the widest
points on the sound box) is the ellipse. This design is also
found in many older traditional dulcimers but is not as common
today as is the teardrop. Other older shapes not often seen today
are the diamond shape with straight sides and the straight-sided
rectangular shape which is characteristic of the earliest known
Appalachian dulcimers and the Pennsylvania German zithers, thought
to be a direct precursor to the mountain dulcimer. There are
endless variations and individual expressions within each basic
shape. These are the individual statements and preferences of
each craftsman.

Size
There are three clearly distinct sizes of dulcimers: standard,
dulcimette (octave-higher dulcimer), and bass (octave-lower dulcimer).
I will discuss these sizes focusing on string length, the distance
from the nut to the bridge, as the most important element. The
total length of a dulcimer varies a great deal because headstocks
come in many different lengths and the bridge might be right
over the endblock, as it is with most older dulcimers, or it
may be moved well into the area of the soundboard.

Standard Sized Dulcimers
Within this category are the widest divergence of dimensions:
string length, side depth, soundboard width, and so on.

String Length--The shortest string length
I've known on a standard dulcimer is about twenty-five inches,
and the longest is about thirty inches. Most standard size dulcimers
are strung to be tuned D-A-A or D-A-D. String length is a major
factor in determining the tone quality of a dulcimer. Instruments
with relatively long string lengths usually have more tension
on the strings. This tends to make these instruments louder and
it can also lend a degree of twang or nasal quality to the sound
which is often associated with the traditional mountain dulcimer.
The price you pay for this added volume is the increased distance
between the frets. Stretching the left-hand fingers from the first
to the fourth frets, for instance, may be very difficult with
an extremely long string length (twenty-nine or thirty inches);
whereas the same stretch might be quite comfortable on a twenty-six
string length. If you have a small hand and your playing style
relies on frequent stretches, you may want to consider a shorter
scale length.

The shorter scale lengths (less than twenty-eight inches) may
also have a certain melodic sweetness not found in a longer instrument
(although this could easily be my own subjective bias as a dulcimer
maker). I think it is clear that these shorter scale length dulcimers,
unless they are strung with extremely heavy strings, tend to have
considerably less punch and volume than their long-necked cousins.

Side Depth and Bass Response --The other
factor that affects tone dramatically is the depth of the sides
combined with the width of the soundboard and the length of the
whole soundbox. Those dulcimers with deep sides (deeper than
two inches) emphasize the bass end of the spectrum. They sound
full and rich on the bass string as well as in the first three
frets across the fingerboard, but they tend to be lacking in
clarity and volume on the melody string especially in the second
octave (from the 7th fret upward). But keep in mind that this
is a generalization and does not take into account critical factors
such as type of finish and woods used.

Conversely, dulcimers having a relatively shallow side depth
(one and one half inch or less) tend to favor the high frequencies
and the open bass string may not sound as full and warm as you
might expect.

Mini-Dulcimers, Dulcimettes, or Octave-Higher Dulcimers
Many dulcimer makers have offered a mini-dulcimer in recent years.
These are usually tuned one octave higher than the normal D-A-D,
although I've seen a few designed to be a fourth or fifth higher
than standard as well. They are generally quite short in overall
length, twenty-four or twenty-five inches, with a correspondingly
short string length (fifteen to eighteen inches).

Ron Ewing may be the best-known builder of the smaller dulcimers,
which he calls "dulcimettes." He offers these in standard
4-string configurations but makes 6-string models as well. With
three pairs of unison strings tuned an octave above the standard
D-A-D, these 6-string dulcimers are powerhouses, truly a force
to be reckoned with. They pack a whallop and are very reminiscent
of the mandolin.

As you might imagine, most of the mini-dulcimers tend to have
massive amounts of high-end response and "cut-through"
ability, particularly in an ensemble setting. By the nature of
the high tuning, they have very little bass response.

Bass Dulcimers
To account for the low register, one octave lower than the standard
D-A-D, we have the bass dulcimer. These instruments are relatively
rare. By far the most prominent maker of bass dulcimers is Blue
Lion Musical Instruments of Santa Margarita, California.

I see these bass dulcimers as special-use instruments. Their
value does not lie in playing standard D-A-D arrangements one
octave lower. Instead, the bass really shines when playing unique
and compelling bass-range repertoire. For instance Sally Rogers
often does a boogie-woogie or blues bass line on her Blue Lion
bass. The results are extraordinary. The boogie tune contrasts
quite dramatically with the rest of Sally's repertoire and lends
a degree of humor and light-heartedness to the performance.

Baritone Dulcimers
There is one more general category of dulcimer with respect to
tuning and pitch range. I call this the baritone dulcimer. It
is pitched in A (A-E-A) between the standard and the bass dulcimer.
Since a baritone or low-strung dulcimer is sometimes simply a
standard dulcimer with thicker strings, I choose not to give the
baritone its own size category.

J. C. Rockwell Dulcimer Company began making baritones in 1994.
They are based on my Large Hourglass (LH) model except that the
baritone sometimes has slightly deeper sides.

The baritone, being only a fourth lower than standard pitch,
is a little more friendly to adapting D-A-D arrangements than
is the bass. Of course, as with the bass dulcimer, it's still
wise to think about the unique abilities of the baritone. Then
your arranging will sound purposeful and will make more sense
musically.

Dulcimer Ensembles
Bass, baritone, and mini-dulcimers can be used well in a dulcimer
ensemble to extend the range of the standard dulcimer to below
as well as above. In years to come we should be hearing some recordings
of dulcimer trios and quartets. Who knows? A literature for dulcimer
ensemble may someday develop.

Stringing
Dulcimers have a variety of string spacing options, as well as
a varying number of strings. The most common stringing arrangement
today is the four-string with double-melody.

Four-String with Double-Melody|| | |
This arrangement is essentially a three-course instrument. The
double-melody is almost always tuned in unison and these strings
are always pressed down together. Since they about 1/8" apart
they are not able to be fretted separately. In the traditional
melody-with-drone style of playing, the melody will get a better
chance to ring out above the middle and bass string drone when
the melody string is doubled.

Three-String Equidistant| | |
Many of the older dulcimers had only three strings and this is
still the arrangement preferred by many modern players (myself
included). It lends itself to intricate, expressive articulations
that are hard to get with doubled strings.

Four-String = Equidistant| | | |
This is an arrangement which expands the harmonic capabilities
of the dulcimer in a dramatic way. It has found favor among a
small but growing number of innovators who find these increased
harmonic capabilities quite compelling.

Five-String with Double-Melody || | | |
This is essentially a 4-course dulcimer, as it has the double-melody
string acting as one string.

Five-String with Double-Melody and Double-Bass|| | ||
This five-string arrangement boils down to a three-course dulcimer
because the melody string is doubled in unison and the bass string
is doubled in octaves, major thirds, or unisons.

Six-String ||
|| ||
In this arrangement we have the same configuration as on the mandolin:
all three courses are doubled in unison. Alternatively, as with
the five-string, the bass course may be unisons or octaves, with
some other interval being used rarely. These double course instruments
have lots of volume, their main selling point.

Eight-String ||
|| || ||
The eight-string set-up is extremely rare. It is just like the
six-string, except with four courses instead of three.

Fretting and Fret
Patterns
The traditional dulcimer fret pattern is purely diatonic:...and plays a Major Scale (Ionian Mode) from the 3rd fret
up to the 10th.

Many of the older fret patterns used on traditional dulcimers
were created by a very intuitive process. The builder used his
ear (the ability to hear the tones) to determine the location
of each fret. This usually yielded some form of "just intonation,"
with the thirds (fifth fret) and sixths (first fret) being placed
back further toward the nut than they would be in equal temperament
(the standard tuning system for all Western instruments). This
flattening of the thirds and sixths has the effect of making them
sound smoother and sweeter than their equal-tempered cousins.

Some of the earliest dulcimers used little staples for frets,
allowing only the melody string to be fretted, with the middle
and bass strings relegated to a pure open-string drone function.
The traditional modal tunings for the dulcimer are best understood
using a purely diatonic fret pattern on the melody string only.

These days most dulcimer makers use the twelve-tone equal temperament
(12-ET) system to mathematically compute their fret patterns.
This actually makes practical sense in that the rest of the music
world is pretty much in 12-ET and the dulcimer must be as well
if it is to tune properly with other instruments.

Additions To The Diatonic Pattern = The 6+ or Extra Fret--Sometime
in this century (the 1950s?) some dulcimer maker started adding
an extra fret between the sixth and seventh frets of the traditional
diatonic pattern. This came to be known as the "six-and-one-half"
fret, often written as 6+ for brevity and clarity in tablature.
The 13+ fret is its equivalent one octave higher and is often
added to dulcimers that have the 6+ fret.

As of 1998 it is difficult, if not impossible, to find a living
dulcimer maker who doesn't offer this 6+ fret option. It has taken
the modern dulcimer world by storm and is an integral part of
the modern mountain dulcimer.

One of the most important uses of the 6+ fret (and maybe the
reason for its existence) is to allow a major seventh interval
from the open melody string when tuned to the popular 1-5-8 or
D-A-D tuning. This will let you play a complete major scale on
the melody string starting with the open string as the root.

The 1+ and 8+ Frets--After the 6+ and 13+,
the newest additions to the dulcimer fret pattern are the 1+ and
its octave-higher equivalent 8+. In the 1-5-8 tuning, the 1+ and
8+ allow a minor third on the melody and bass strings, as well
as a b7 on the middle string.

Fully Chromatic Fret Patterns--It is not hard
to see that this extra fret business is heading directly toward
a fully chromatic fretboard like the guitar, mandolin, and banjo!
Although still rare, fully chromatic dulcimers are being seen
and heard these days. The full deck of chromatic notes is a tremendous
advantage when playing jazz and modern pop music where a musician
needs all harmonic possibilities within comfortable reach of the
left hand. However some of the more historically-driven dulcimer
folks refuse to call these chromatic instruments by the name "dulcimer."
This continues to be an area of explosive dialogue and controversy
within the dulcimer community.

Jerry Rockwell is a luthier and musician living
in Guysville, Ohio. Do you have comments or questions about his
article? Contact Mr. Rockwell
directly by e-mail. To learn more about him, see the Contributors
section of Sweet Music Index.